Overview
Palka et al. measured Zn, Cu, nickel (Ni), Fe, Mn, cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in rabbit liver, rabbit loin meat, and the nettle-leaf or fenugreek-seed feed additives used in a controlled feeding trial. The source is direct occurrence evidence for rabbit meat and liver on a wet-weight basis, and mitigation/formulation context for herbal feed additives because the authors compared unsupplemented feed with 1% nettle or fenugreek inclusion.
Key numbers
Table 2 reports the feed additives on a dry-weight basis. Nettle leaves contained 25.80 +/- 3.10 mg/kg Zn, 3.85 +/- 0.09 mg/kg Cu, 0.57 +/- 0.22 mg/kg Ni, 380.8 +/- 47.67 mg/kg Fe, 23.05 +/- 0.55 mg/kg Mn, and 2.29 +/- 0.063 mg/kg Cd; Pb was under the limit of detection. Fenugreek seeds contained 24.48 +/- 2.18 mg/kg Zn, 4.45 +/- 0.13 mg/kg Cu, 0.26 +/- 0.56 mg/kg Ni, 54.74 +/- 1.86 mg/kg Fe, 9.14 +/- 0.86 mg/kg Mn, and 0.48 +/- 0.057 mg/kg Cd; Pb was under the limit of detection.
Table 3 reports rabbit liver on a wet-weight basis. Control rabbits had 37.34 +/- 2.54 mg/kg Zn, 3.65 +/- 0.26 mg/kg Cu, 0.04 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Ni, 82.99 +/- 10.78 mg/kg Fe, 1.93 +/- 0.21 mg/kg Mn, and 0.03 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Cd; Pb was under the limit of detection. The 1% nettle group had 24.19 +/- 3.18 mg/kg Zn, 3.40 +/- 0.47 mg/kg Cu, 0.11 +/- 0.03 mg/kg Ni, 49.70 +/- 7.88 mg/kg Fe, 1.39 +/- 0.32 mg/kg Mn, and 0.17 +/- 0.23 mg/kg Cd; Pb was under the limit of detection. The 1% fenugreek group had 32.55 +/- 2.55 mg/kg Zn, 4.27 +/- 0.46 mg/kg Cu, 0.06 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Ni, 70.34 +/- 15.26 mg/kg Fe, 1.96 +/- 0.27 mg/kg Mn, and 0.02 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Cd; Pb was under the limit of detection.
Table 4 reports rabbit loin meat, specifically m. longissimus lumborum, on a wet-weight basis. Control meat had 5.62 +/- 0.48 mg/kg Zn, 0.50 +/- 0.05 mg/kg Cu, 0.22 +/- 0.04 mg/kg Ni, 3.08 +/- 0.34 mg/kg Fe, and 0.08 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Mn; Cd and Pb were under the limit of detection. The 1% nettle group had 5.02 +/- 0.34 mg/kg Zn, 0.35 +/- 0.04 mg/kg Cu, 0.26 +/- 0.03 mg/kg Ni, 2.59 +/- 0.32 mg/kg Fe, and 0.03 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Mn; Cd and Pb were under the limit of detection. The 1% fenugreek group had 5.51 +/- 0.36 mg/kg Zn, 0.39 +/- 0.03 mg/kg Cu, 0.24 +/- 0.03 mg/kg Ni, 2.56 +/- 0.33 mg/kg Fe, and 0.02 +/- 0.01 mg/kg Mn; Cd and Pb were under the limit of detection.
Table 8 reports sex-stratified liver and meat values. Male livers had 0.05 +/- 0.04 mg/kg Cd and female livers had 0.09 +/- 0.02 mg/kg Cd, with Pb under the limit of detection in both sexes. Cd and Pb were under the limit of detection in both male and female meat.
Methods (brief)
The study used 60 Termond White rabbits at the University of Agriculture in Krakow. Three groups of 20 rabbits each received control feed, control feed plus 1% nettle leaves, or control feed plus 1% fenugreek seeds from day 35 to day 84 of life. Liver samples were collected at slaughter, and loin meat samples were collected after 24 hours of carcass cooling at 4 degrees C. Meat and liver results are reported in mg/kg wet weight; feed-additive results are reported in mg/kg dry weight.
Samples of meat, liver, nettle, and fenugreek were pre-mineralized with perchloric and nitric acids, thermally mineralized, diluted with deionized water, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry using a Unicam 929 spectrometer. The paper reports total elemental concentrations, not chemical species such as inorganic arsenic, methylmercury, or hexavalent chromium.
Implications
Microbiome: Not applicable.
Related evidence
- Game meats (venison, bison, rabbit)
- Meat and poultry
- Organ Meats (Kidney and Liver)
- Formulation mitigation
- Cadmium
- Lead
- Nickel
- Copper
Update history
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